Occidental College
Campus Conversations
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Blogger: Maddy Farkas
I type this blog post as I am tucked into my guest bed on the first floor of my friend Tyler’s house. Tyler also goes to Oxy and we spent the weekend adventuring in Los Angeles and watching the Golden Globes. This mini vacation was a breath of fresh air from the monotony of winter break. While out-
and-about, Tyler and I had the pleasure of seeing our talented friend Soraya, another Oxy student, play a show. We even walked 0.2 miles in the cold and channeled our inner Sherlock Holmes to find hidden ATMs, witnessed at least 500 bicyclists rush down Hollywood Blvd at 9PM, and discovered that 9/10 people in Los Angeles will don a beanie if the temperature drops below 50. That being said, spending time with my college friends for a couple of days really cemented in my desire to return to school, and made me reevaluate my life of Sudoku puzzles and podcasts that has been the past two weeks
The longer I’m away from Occidental, the more often I catch myself referring to it as “home,” even when I am home. This realization is why I now consider Oxy to be my own personal Cheers. Remember that show? If you need a refresher, it’s the place where everybody knows your name. The place you spend more time at than your own house. The place where, no matter what time of day, you can find all of your friends. And the place where, most importantly, you have a nearly limitless supply of pretzels. (Insert Mean Girls quote here). That being said, I’m pretty sure none of the Cheers gang spent more than 5-10 hours at a time away from the bar. So for us to spend five weeks away from Oxy seems like a lifetime in comparison. I miss the long walks down to the Marketplace. I miss scouring all four floors of the library for the perfect spot to set up camp. I miss having stare-downs with squirrels. I miss watching east coasters tan on Stewie Beach in 60 degree weather. I miss being in a place where everybody knows my name. (Although in terms of popularity I’m probably more of a Cliff than a Norm.) Whereas here the “everybody” refers to the cashier at my local Rite Aid, at Oxy I can settle down in any spot on campus and feel like I’m surrounded by at least one person who knows my name.